This week’s top news stories in pictures (May 31)

The Pigeon Detectives have rescheduled the Irish gigs they were forced to cancel when singer Matt Bowman injured himself onstage at Radio 1's Big Weekend (May 11) in Maidstone. The band will now play The Academy in Dublin on July 22 and Belfast's Mandela Hall on July 23. Original tickets will be valid for both the shows.

Pic: Danny North

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Andy Burrows, snapped here, was joined by fellow members of Razorlight to perform a new, currently-untitled song during the drummer's solo show at London's Union Chapel, for Winchester children's hospice Naomi House, last Wednesday. Editors' Tom Smith also joined the drummer later on-stage on the track 'The Colour Of My Dreams'.

Pic: Andy Willsher

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Pink Floyd have stated that they may consider a Live8 reunion. Dave Gilmour has suggested the original members of the band could get together for another one-off gig in the future but that a full tour was unlikely. "We did the one-off thing and that was probably enough for me but we shall see....I've earned the right to sit on my ass for a little while and consider what to do next."

Pic: PA Photos

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Paul McCartney will be joined by Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl at a giant gig in Liverpool this weekend (June 1). The two frontmen will team up for the Anfield Stadium gig on Sunday, held as part of Liverpool's European Capital Of Culture celebrations.
Pic: PA Photos

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The Ting Tings scored their first UK Number One album last Sunday (May 25) with their debut album, 'We Started Nothing', going straight in at the top spot on its first week of release. It marks a brace of chart-toppers for the pop duo: the previous week their single 'Thatâ

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My Chemical Romance have lashed out at media scare-stories suggesting that emo music encourages teen suicide. Posting on their official site the New Jersey band explained that they "are and always have been vocally anti-violence and anti-suicide."

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Meet Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy, the animated characters created by Gorillaz artist Jamie Hewlett that are to appear in the title sequence for the coverage of the Beijing Olympics, this August. The two minute sequence will feature music penned by Damon Albarn and is based on the traditional Chinese folklore tale 'Journey To The West', which Hewlett and Albarn staged as an opera last year.

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Sigur Ros have made a song from their forthcoming new album, 'MeÃ° SuÃ° Ã­ Eyrum ViÃ° Spilum Endalaust' available to download free from the Sigur Ros website, www.sigurros.com.

The song, entitled 'Gobbledigook', is the first fruit from the band's fifth album, set to be released on June 23.

Click or tap to zoom into this imageImage credit: Tom Oxley

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French dance duo Daft Punk, whose silver helmeted heads can just be seen in this picture taken during their 2007 Rock Ness Festival appearance, have begun work on a new album in their Paris studio. The band are recording the follow-up to 2005's 'Human After All'.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Grunge icons Pearl Jam, whose lead singer Eddie Vedder is pictured here, have announced they will play a special show for charity in New York this summer. The band will perform at the Beacon Theatre on July 1, one day after their US tour comes to a close in Mansfield, MA. Proceeds from the gig will benefit the Robin Hood organisation, a charity which is working to alleviate poverty in New York City.

Pic: PA Photos

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Shirley Manson is set to pursue a full-time acting career, having landed a regular role on a US TV series. The Garbage lead singer will appear in a recurring role as Catherine Weaver, the â

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Elvis Costello played a star-studded "secret" show at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles last Wednesday, following his opening stint for The Police at the Hollywood Bowl earlier in the evening. His setlist included '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?', 'I Hope You're Happy Now' and an encore rendition of 'Happy Birthday' dedicated to singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice, who had joined Costello onstage earlier that night.

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Santogold rounded off the second day of Liverpool Sound City festival last Wednesday (May 28) with a late night gig at Alma De Cuba. The gig saw crowds of fans spilling out on to the streets, eager to catch a glimpse of the Philadelphian electro superstar, whose setlist for the evening featured hits 'L.E.S Artists' and 'Creator'. The gig was attended by Lightspeed Champion.

Pic: www.rmusic.co.uk

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Amy Winehouse has joined the line-up for Nelson Mandela's birthday concert. The singer will perform alongside the likes of Queen and Annie Lennox at the 46664 Concert in Hyde Park on June 27, which will mark the former South African President's 90th birthday.

Pic: PA Photos

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The Boss gets quashed! Arsenal bosses have spent Â£100,000 in an attempt to control noise levels at Bruce Springsteen's upcoming gigs at north London's Emirates Stadium.

The maximum volume permitted by Islington Council for the two gigs tonight and tomorrow (May 30, 31) is 75 decibels, and the gig must end by 10.30pm (BST).

Pic: PA Photos

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Muse, pictured here looking sharp-suited, have revealed that they are planning a surprise collaboration for their forthcoming headline slot at the V Festival in August. Drummer Dom Howard has commented: "We are looking into a big collaboration for V but we need to see if it'll work out first."

Michael Jackson gives his two fingered salute to fans. The singer recently pulled out of a TV live comeback, citing stage fright. The singer had been scheduled to sing on the finale of the 'American Idol' series on May 21, in front of an audience of around 27 million viewers. This year saw Jackson release an anniversary edition of his top-selling album 'Thriller', 25 years after its first release.
Pic:PA Photos

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Babyshambles, pictured here, are set to be the subject of an official book documenting the story of the band so far. 'Babyshambles: The Official Story', by Spencer Honniball will be released later this year and has been dubbed "the most exciting rock 'n' roll story of the last five years," by publishers.
Pic: Guy Eppel

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Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood has revealed that he went deaf during the recording of the band's last album, 'In Rainbows'. Greenwood explained that as the result of using the wrong type of headphones while recording the album, which was released on download format last October, he suffered loss of hearing and tinnitus.